I spent five years at Forbes writing about business and leadership, attracting nearly one million unique visitors to Forbes.com each month. While here, I assistant edited the annual World’s 100 Most Powerful Women package and helped launch and grow ForbesWoman.com. I've appeared on CBS, CNBC, MSNBC and E Entertainment and speak often at conferences and events on women's leadership topics. I graduated summa cum laude from New York University with degrees in journalism and sociology and was honored with a best in business award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW) in 2012. My work has appeared in Businessweek, Ladies’ Home Journal, The Aesthete and Acura Style. I live in New York City with my husband and can be found on Twitter @Jenna_Goudreau, Facebook, and Google+.

Men Choose Dirty Diapers Over Balance Sheets?

Are Don Draper dads—with long hours at the office and a hands-off approach to children—an endangered species?

A new survey reveals that American men value fatherhood more than having a successful career. Conducted by researchers at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the survey of 1,000 married dads and non-dads found that 77% of men rate being a good father as very important, while only 49% said the same about a successful career.

Co-author of the research and a professor of sociology, Julia McQuillan believes the image of the stern, career-focused father who is ambivalent about childcare may be made-for-TV. “These results show something quite different,” said McQuillan. “Men don’t have to be into [working] or [fatherhood]. They can be into both.”

The majority of men surveyed also agreed with the following statements:

Having children is important to my feeling complete as a man.

I always thought I would be a parent.

I think my life will be or is more fulfilling with children.

It is important for me to have children.

Is this a sign that men are no longer satisfied with the staunch gender roles of the past, which shackled them to a cubicle and kept them from their children’s youth? Or might it be a reaction to their own distant fathers?

McQuillan said she was surprised that the findings deviated from the conventional notion of men chiefly identifying as economic providers. Perhaps this shift is further evidence of a broader change in employees’ trust of corporate America, and research that suggests 75% of the workforce is disengaged.

On Twitter, Stephen MacDonald, who is not yet a father but is a proud uncle, said the findings seem reasonable. “How many men are satisfied with their careers vs. the number of good dads?” he asked.

Interestingly, most research has focused on women’s challenges in combining work and motherhood. Time surveys continue to find that even working women do the lion’s share of chores and remain primary caregivers. Are modern couples moving towards a more equal share of outside-the-home work and domestic duties?

“Perhaps recognizing that fatherhood is important to men could open employers up to creating flexibility for parenting among men as well as women,” McQuillan noted, “and to not assume anything about employees based on gender or parenthood status alone.”

Bruce Kneuer, a market researcher and father of six, says he values both career and fatherhood very highly, but says it can be difficult to balance both. “There is a give and take between advancing in one’s career and the time and effort of being a dad,” he says, agreeing that there should be more recognition for the work-life struggle experienced by fathers as well as mothers. But times are changing. He says, “As I look at my peers, I absolutely think we’ll see more dads running the household in the future.”

About two-thirds of the men surveyed, or 65%, endorsed “egalitarian gender attitudes” toward parenting.

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This makes sense to me. I’m a SAHD to two and it made financial sense for us to do it this way. It’s also good to see some major brand names start to market us. The latest Tide commercial is a great example of kind treatment (instead of presuming that we’re house-stupid) to a SAHD.

My thoughts exactly. “Perhaps recognizing that fatherhood is important to men could open employers up to creating flexibility for parenting among men as well as women,” McQuillan noted, “and to not assume anything about employees based on gender or parenthood status alone.”

I’m re-posting this article within all my circles. In our co-op preschool there are quite a few dads who co-op in the classrooms. And even if they’re not co-oping, you see about half consistently at our circle meetings, parent board meetings, dropping and picking up their kids. Before my father died during my childhood he was a SAHD, and I never thought anything of it. Neither did I think anything of having an O-6 (Colonel) for a mom.

I do believe the more both men and women stand up and request more flexible work hours and creative ways to work including virtual offices–the faster this change will take place. The economy right now is a perfect petri dish to try this out. People are getting too stressed out, and there’s an inordinate amount of strain on relationships.

Here’s to balancing it out, slowing down, and re-prioritizing so the norm re-focuses on families, raising well-rounded kids, healthy active lifestyles, with good sleep and nutrition! Perhaps the more studies done like this–the more both genders will come to a place where we lift each other up, and focus on how our strengths compliment and make us stronger together.